Customer Reviews

C How to Program Introducing C++ and Java

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is used in FSU's CGS 3408 course: "Introduction to Programming with the C Language." In the preface, the Deitels state that this book is for everyone (beginners to experts) who want to learn C. They've made a very good stab at that goal, but realistically, I'd have to say that those who are professional programmers in other languages will find this book too long for their needs. For beginners (and even those moderately versed in other languages), this is an excellent book. I really have only three minor gripes about it:

- First, throughout the C portion, the book uses scanf as the default for getting user input. Unfortunately, as my compiler warned me constantly (and I verified on the web), scanf has been "deprecated" (I guess that's a fancy way to say don't use it, use something else). Unfortunately, the book talks about alternative IO in only one chapter near the end of the C portion and very rarely uses it. So, this book teaches as a standard an input method that's been superseded.

- Second, and related to the first, the book clumps all IO except for printf and scanf into a single chapter near the end. It would have been a lot better if they had introduced alternative IO a little at a time throughout the book. As it is, my eyes just glazed over when I hit that chapter.

- And, finally, though this might sound weird, there are too many exercises at the end of each chapter. I read through this book on my own and so had no way of choosing which exercises to do. Some of the chapters have over 40 programming exercises. I suppose this is great at a college where the instructors can select different exercises for years without repeating. But, as an individual, I'd have preferred a handful of in-depth exercises focusing on the chapter material instead of a huge number of varied exercises (some of which don't seem to have much bearing on the chapter).

One note about the content of this book: most of it (over half) is dedicated to C. It covers C in detail. The remaining half is equally divided between C++ and Java. The level of detail in those chapters (and the exercises, too) comes nowhere near that in the C portion. If you're interested in C++ or Java, those chunks in this book are good, but you'll really need to read dedicated books to get the full treatment.

Overall, a very good book. Experienced programmers might prefer something more terse, but all others will be pleased. I give it 4 stars out of 5.

This was my college text for an intro level class within my information systems major at the University of Texas at Tyler. While I was first a bit worried over the sheer size of the book I soon came to love it.

Pros:
+The book includes amongst it's numerous examples many complete programs. Meaning that when I wanted to see how something worked I could enter the example and it would compile properly. Most of the other programing textbooks I've experienced include only bits and pieces in their examples.
+The book was able to answer every question I had on C.
+The index was extremely well constructed.
Cons:
-Size may be an issue. If you already resemble a packhorse moving from classroom to classroom this book may not be for you.
-If your looking for a concise intro to C where the goal is entirely to learn the 'how' and not also the 'why' this book isn't for you. The Deitel philosophy seems to be to list every possible detail concerning C and how to use it, order it based on how necessary it is, and then beat it to death.

Hopefully this gives you a good idea of what the text is like. The four-star rating is given to "C How to Program" as a textbook. Were I thinking of it as a teach-yourself-C book I would probably rate it 3star simply because the amount of info (and the relativly high cost) is above what the hobbiest needs.

I got C as my first programming language in university and my lecturer recommended me to buy this book. He's right. This book is very good. It contains very detail information about C in plain words. The sentences are easy to understand for a student like me who don't use English as primary language. This book really helps me understand C in a different view. I would recommend this book to everyone who's interested in C. If you are new to programming, this book is a good start.

(I have the third edition.)
This book was required for a C programming class. It chalked full of great information. I learned a lot from this book and the instructor.

4 stars instead of 5 because of the way the way the book is organized. Better organization could have been implimented. There are too many "Good Programming Practicees" and "Common Programming Error" boxes to clutter up the pages. Perhaps some Chicago style referencing and a section at the end of the chapter would help clean up the regular text. --- Also some of the subjects used for the codeing examples, and some of the coding examples themselves should be simpler. In other words the code examples tended to be difficult to follow at times.

Overall the book is keeper. (That and because it has just been succeded by a a new edition and is no longer resellable for nearly what I paid for it. (This is the third edition.))

This book is very usable even as an older edition.

It was an ok book, absolutley nothing like 5th edition, so I would not recomend cheaping out and buying this edition instead. It has a freindly layout and easy to read.

I used this book for an Intro to C course and loved it. The books is extremely well written and clear. There are a million examples and problems to work through. The only downside is that the book weighs a ton. And the only electronic version I could find was on O'Reilly's Safari service, which requires that you be connected to the internet. I would give a million dollars for a .pdf of this book. Great book!

This book is very well written and provides a nice introduction to C and C++ (screw Java). There are many case-studies, exercises that will challenge you and help cement what you've learned, and presents everything in a clear manner. Still, there are some instances where I'd wished they'd spent more time on, such as why you need pointers to pointers for list manipulating functions (I eventually wrapped my mind around it, but not without some help with online sources). I'd say it brings the beginner up to an intermediate level with C, and then adds C++'s capabilities and principles of Object Oriented Programming. You'll be able to do a lot after working your way through the book, but you'll still have a lot to learn to become the C-programming guru of world renown. I didn't bother working through the Java section, since I already know the stupid language. Plus, considering the fact that Java's progressed so much over the last few years, anything but a more up-to-date (like, last year or two) book written on it is almost useless.

This book is too dense, basicly all you are getting is one third of the book on the subject. However, the explanation is well written and clear, but it follows few chapters after given example code.
In each chapter very much is covered in very short lessons, the author felt like he had to put two other languages in the same book c++ and java.

Pros : Good explaination.
Cons : Covers very much in each lesson.

This book first needs better binding glues since it comes apart after a few weeks of heavy usage. When I surveyed other students' textbooks their books suffered the same fate.

Some of the book's examples are difficult to follow along and the explanation usually follow several pages later.

Some of the problems deal with Casino card and dice gambling type problems that some religious students just aren't familiar with and the description in the problems assusme students know all the subtle "ins" and "outs." Also some of the problems take way too long to do.

The glossy paper also isn't necessary. Under typical flourescent lighting conditions, it glares too much, thus reducing book's usage.

At HVCC college CIS department one instructor is actually using another textbook since he too feels strongly that this Deitel book isn't suitable to learn C that easily.

Gerard J. Sagliocca, P.E.
gerard_sagliocca@yahoo.com